#ConservativeBecause Quickly Backfired for Conservatives on Twitter

A recent attempt by some conservatives on Twitter to get the hashtag #ConservativeBecause trending was a rousing success — though almost certainly not in the way its creators originally intended.

According to Red Alert Politics, the hashtag began when Future Female Leaders — a conservative group that exhorts young women to "vote with your lady smarts, not your lady parts" — issued a call for young, conservative women to share their stories with others. The intent was apparently to show that conservatives are not just a collection of disgruntled white men.

Tell your story of why you're a conservative with #ConservativeBecause pic.twitter.com/GBESdUo5PW

Initially, the hashtag appeared to be succeeding in its stated mission.

ConservativeBecause I wanna be a Nancy Reagan in a world of Kim Kardashians.

But things quickly took a turn, and by late Sunday night, it was unclear whether #ConservativeBecause was trending thanks to its initial, earnest posts or the counteroffensive it prompted from users offering a less-than-charitable take on right-wing politics. Numerous posts mocked presumptive Republican nominee for president Donald Trump, and conservatism in general, for perceived hypocrisy, bigotry and ignorance.

ConservativeBecause I believe marriage should be between one man and a series of progressively younger womenpic.twitter.com/6ruSMgv9D4

ConservativeBecause my wife left me

ConservativeBecause small government, also our people will die without lebensraum in the east

ConservativeBecause you wish things had never progressed beyond segregation and women staying in the home.

I'm #ConservativeBecause I'm not about to give up on trickle down economics after only 36 years.

ConservativeBecause I believe marriage is sacred & between a man & a woman. And my secretary and the occasional hooker-but no gay stuff!

ConservativeBecause the government should stay out of your life but also cops should be able to kill if you don't do exactly what they say

People become #ConservativeBecause being raised in a spoiled, privileged home often leaves you out of the loop from humanity's real problems

ConservativeBecause Raising a large son has taught me the importance of personal responsibility, virtue and strength.

conservativebecause everything but the pico de gallo at chipotle is too spicy

ConservativeBecause terrified of black people. completely and totally. with a weird sexual edge to the terror that is is very apparent

By and large, Twitter is broadly liberal, so it's not particularly surprising the #ConservativeBecause train derailed so quickly out of the station like so many hashtags before it (take for example the #AskJPM hashtag in 2013, which quickly became diluted with insults lobbed at the banking giant). But it is yet another reminder hashtags are basically designed to be hijacked.